China Uses Drone To Catch Exam Cheaters

Cheaters in one of the world's most stressful tests have something new to stress over: drones.

Chinese teens are anxiously awaiting the national college entrance exam or “Gaokao.” It is one of the world’s most stressful tests and will determine which universities students will go to. So much pressure is put on students to do well on this test that last year 79 students committed suicide as a result of the exam. The test will affect their entire adult lives, so it’s easy to see how strong the allure of cheating is.

Authorities have been battling Gaokao cheaters for years, but one Chinese city has found a new weapon in their fight against academic dishonesty: drones. This isn't the first time drones have been used for an unconventional purpose and It makes sense that the government would resort to serious measures. Not only is this a very important test, but students have developed sophisticated cheating methods over the years. One popular method of cheating involves planting a small camera somewhere on the test taker. A second person is sent the image of the exam questions and sends the answers back to the student into an ear piece.

The city of Luoyang has decided to crack down on these would-be cheaters with a six-propeller drone which will be monitoring the airwaves for cheating broadcasts.

“At big exams like these, there are always ‘mystery men’ figures in the background,” said Zeng Yingyong, the secretary of Luoyang’s radio management bureau, in an interview with the Chinese news outlet dahe.cn

The drone will be able to monitor the examination area for signals as well as keep an eye on test takers below.

Students who are caught cheating will be unable to take the test again for a three year period and non-students found assisting in cheating will face criminal charges. Chinese students better get to studying.